No hump, just a Trump slump, and it's due soon...unless... (1 Viewer)

[Buster Icon]

Behold, folks, the Trumpian Blink. In a spectacle befitting a Shakespearean farce, President Trump has once again pirouetted on the precipice of fiscal disaster, only to retreat under the weight of his own bluster. Having previously threatened to dismiss Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and to impose draconian tariffs on Chinese imports--measures that would have effectively severed trade ties with the world's second-largest economy--Trump now appears to be backpedaling, perhaps recognizing that even his most ardent supporters blanch at the prospect of empty store shelves and plummeting markets.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a moment of candor, acknowledged to investors that the existing 145% tariff on Chinese goods functions as a de facto trade embargo. Yet, in a move that suggests a newfound appreciation for economic interdependence, the administration has signaled a willingness to de-escalate tensions with China and has paused reciprocal tariffs for 90 days in hopes of negotiating deals with 75 other countries. This sudden shift, reminiscent of a gambler folding a losing hand, underscores the administration's recognition that its aggressive trade policies have sown chaos in global markets and imperiled domestic industries.

The so-called "Trump put"--a metaphor for the president's tendency to intervene in markets to prevent losses--remains alive, but its efficacy is waning. As Apollo's chief economist Torsten Slok notes, the complexity of negotiating numerous trade deals could stall global trade, echoing disruptions similar to those during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturing sectors are already feeling the strain, and the broader economic consequences are poised to unfold in the coming months.

In this theater of the absurd, where policy is dictated by impulse rather than strategy, the American economy teeters on the edge, held hostage by the whims of a president who equates unpredictability with strength. One can only hope that reason will prevail before the curtain falls on this tragicomedy.

Read all about it:

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/23/trump-economy-tariffs-china-powell

 

[Lycanthrope]

BUH BUH BUH IT'S ELEVENTY DIMENSIONAL NEGOTIATING! RADICAL LEFTIST LUNATICS JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE GREATNESS OF HIS MOST HIGH AND HOLY CHEETO!

 

[ElChupacabra]

BUH BUH BUH IT'S ELEVENTY DIMENSIONAL NEGOTIATING! RADICAL LEFTIST LUNATICS JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE GREATNESS OF HIS MOST HIGH AND HOLY CHEETO!

My favorite thing to come out of this is this massively funny spin from a WH official:

This is what Donald Trump does. He leads with leverage. He gets people to the table. China has expressed interest in negotiation. And the president has made clear that if they play ball, he'll play ball, too.

Of course the question here is whether it was possible to get China to the table without doing all of this damage. My guess is most definitely, and the same goes for all of the other countries he placed tariffs on.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"With President Donald Trump’s second term approaching its 100-day mark, 40% of Americans approve of how he’s handling the job – a decline of 7 percentage points from February." https://www.pewresearch.org/politic...aw-majority-disapproval-as-he-nears-100-days/

After a 90-day pause on his tariffs, Trump is thinking of going backwards on tariffs targeting China.

Trump would do a lot better if he kept his mouth shut and didn't do anything.

Proof of that is the country does a lot better when he reverses himself and changes his mind on tariffs. Americans are tired of his lies.

CNN reports, "President Donald Trump’s unprecedented tariffs, particularly on China, and recent attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell caused alarm among some of his top advisers and America’s biggest CEOs, who warned of financial chaos and store shelves that could go bare, people familiar with the conversations said.

"The warnings — and the markets’ own volatility this week — seemed to have broken through. Trump backed down Tuesday from his threats to try to remove Powell from the job, telling reporters in the Oval Office: “I have no intention of firing him.”

"That prompted sighs of relief on Wall Street. A day after markets boomed on comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that Trump would seek to de-escalate the trade war with China, US markets gained again on Wednesday."

Now if Trump would quit lying to the American people about talks and deals that do not exist.

"Trump on Wednesday told reporters that his administration will get a “fair deal” with China on trade, adding more broadly that negotiations with countries “are going very well.”

 

[Idiocracy]

Behold, folks, the Trumpian Blink. In a spectacle befitting a Shakespearean farce, President Trump has once again pirouetted on the precipice of fiscal disaster, only to retreat under the weight of his own bluster. Having previously threatened to dismiss Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and to impose draconian tariffs on Chinese imports--measures that would have effectively severed trade ties with the world's second-largest economy--Trump now appears to be backpedaling, perhaps recognizing that even his most ardent supporters blanch at the prospect of empty store shelves and plummeting markets.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a moment of candor, acknowledged to investors that the existing 145% tariff on Chinese goods functions as a de facto trade embargo. Yet, in a move that suggests a newfound appreciation for economic interdependence, the administration has signaled a willingness to de-escalate tensions with China and has paused reciprocal tariffs for 90 days in hopes of negotiating deals with 75 other countries. This sudden shift, reminiscent of a gambler folding a losing hand, underscores the administration's recognition that its aggressive trade policies have sown chaos in global markets and imperiled domestic industries.

The so-called "Trump put"--a metaphor for the president's tendency to intervene in markets to prevent losses--remains alive, but its efficacy is waning. As Apollo's chief economist Torsten Slok notes, the complexity of negotiating numerous trade deals could stall global trade, echoing disruptions similar to those during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturing sectors are already feeling the strain, and the broader economic consequences are poised to unfold in the coming months.

In this theater of the absurd, where policy is dictated by impulse rather than strategy, the American economy teeters on the edge, held hostage by the whims of a president who equates unpredictability with strength. One can only hope that reason will prevail before the curtain falls on this tragicomedy.

Read all about it:

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/23/trump-economy-tariffs-china-powell

It's neat how leftists write tall tales about an abstract reality in hopes it takes. It never does, but while leftists claim to be educated, on such things as history, they just never learn from it.

 

[SNOWFLAKE]

It's neat how leftists write tall tales about an abstract reality in hopes it takes. It never does, but while leftists claim to be educated, on such things as history, they just never learn from it.

Leftists!!

 

[Sage077]

Behold, folks, the Trumpian Blink. In a spectacle befitting a Shakespearean farce, President Trump has once again pirouetted on the precipice of fiscal disaster, only to retreat under the weight of his own bluster. Having previously threatened to dismiss Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and to impose draconian tariffs on Chinese imports--measures that would have effectively severed trade ties with the world's second-largest economy--Trump now appears to be backpedaling, perhaps recognizing that even his most ardent supporters blanch at the prospect of empty store shelves and plummeting markets.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a moment of candor, acknowledged to investors that the existing 145% tariff on Chinese goods functions as a de facto trade embargo. Yet, in a move that suggests a newfound appreciation for economic interdependence, the administration has signaled a willingness to de-escalate tensions with China and has paused reciprocal tariffs for 90 days in hopes of negotiating deals with 75 other countries. This sudden shift, reminiscent of a gambler folding a losing hand, underscores the administration's recognition that its aggressive trade policies have sown chaos in global markets and imperiled domestic industries.

The so-called "Trump put"--a metaphor for the president's tendency to intervene in markets to prevent losses--remains alive, but its efficacy is waning. As Apollo's chief economist Torsten Slok notes, the complexity of negotiating numerous trade deals could stall global trade, echoing disruptions similar to those during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturing sectors are already feeling the strain, and the broader economic consequences are poised to unfold in the coming months.

In this theater of the absurd, where policy is dictated by impulse rather than strategy, the American economy teeters on the edge, held hostage by the whims of a president who equates unpredictability with strength. One can only hope that reason will prevail before the curtain falls on this tragicomedy.

Read all about it:

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/23/trump-economy-tariffs-china-powell

Very well stated !! The question that continues to arise is what impulse is he responding to?? And then: What impulse will he respond to in the next few hrs... as his inconstancy , predictable maniacal chaos is well established now.
It is also apparent that China knows how to deal with this erratic person.......who is yet to demonstrate that he knows what he is doing. OR has a REALISTIC plan .
This bi polar behavior is devestating to anyone that has to make longer term plans for business , trade etc. Everything that comes from his oral orifice is exaggerated, grandiose or garden variety lies.
This roller coaster approach to "leadership???" creates only instability uncertainty / fear .........in the country......and world at large.

 

[ScrambledEggs]

Leftists!!
View attachment 67566699

UR A LEFTIST!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Buster Icon]

It's neat how leftists write tall tales about an abstract reality in hopes it takes. It never does, but while leftists claim to be educated, on such things as history, they just never learn from it.

If you can put some meat on those weasel words, free froe. I'll be waiting, for some specifics.

 

[Idiocracy]

If you can put some meat on those weasel words, free froe. I'll be waiting, for some specifics.

You want me to defend my position on the intangible with something tangible?

 

[Buster Icon]

You want me to defend my position on the intangible with something tangible?

Any moron can rant generalities. It takes skill to communicate in sober specifics, and be able to back it up.

Ball's in your court, my friend.

 

[Mycroft]

Behold, folks, the Trumpian Blink. In a spectacle befitting a Shakespearean farce, President Trump has once again pirouetted on the precipice of fiscal disaster, only to retreat under the weight of his own bluster. Having previously threatened to dismiss Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and to impose draconian tariffs on Chinese imports--measures that would have effectively severed trade ties with the world's second-largest economy--Trump now appears to be backpedaling, perhaps recognizing that even his most ardent supporters blanch at the prospect of empty store shelves and plummeting markets.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a moment of candor, acknowledged to investors that the existing 145% tariff on Chinese goods functions as a de facto trade embargo. Yet, in a move that suggests a newfound appreciation for economic interdependence, the administration has signaled a willingness to de-escalate tensions with China and has paused reciprocal tariffs for 90 days in hopes of negotiating deals with 75 other countries. This sudden shift, reminiscent of a gambler folding a losing hand, underscores the administration's recognition that its aggressive trade policies have sown chaos in global markets and imperiled domestic industries.

The so-called "Trump put"--a metaphor for the president's tendency to intervene in markets to prevent losses--remains alive, but its efficacy is waning. As Apollo's chief economist Torsten Slok notes, the complexity of negotiating numerous trade deals could stall global trade, echoing disruptions similar to those during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturing sectors are already feeling the strain, and the broader economic consequences are poised to unfold in the coming months.

In this theater of the absurd, where policy is dictated by impulse rather than strategy, the American economy teeters on the edge, held hostage by the whims of a president who equates unpredictability with strength. One can only hope that reason will prevail before the curtain falls on this tragicomedy.

Read all about it:

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/23/trump-economy-tariffs-china-powell

Spin is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

 

[Idiocracy]

Any moron can rant generalities. It takes skill to communicate in sober specifics, and be able to back it up.

Ball's in your court, my friend.

The OP doesn't even meet a generality; it's story time. So no shit, you want me to substantiate why cry wolf is fiction? This just in, left has cried wolf for 8+ years now, all credibility was lost a long time ago.

 

[trouble13]

Behold, folks, the Trumpian Blink. In a spectacle befitting a Shakespearean farce, President Trump has once again pirouetted on the precipice of fiscal disaster, only to retreat under the weight of his own bluster. Having previously threatened to dismiss Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and to impose draconian tariffs on Chinese imports--measures that would have effectively severed trade ties with the world's second-largest economy--Trump now appears to be backpedaling, perhaps recognizing that even his most ardent supporters blanch at the prospect of empty store shelves and plummeting markets.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a moment of candor, acknowledged to investors that the existing 145% tariff on Chinese goods functions as a de facto trade embargo. Yet, in a move that suggests a newfound appreciation for economic interdependence, the administration has signaled a willingness to de-escalate tensions with China and has paused reciprocal tariffs for 90 days in hopes of negotiating deals with 75 other countries. This sudden shift, reminiscent of a gambler folding a losing hand, underscores the administration's recognition that its aggressive trade policies have sown chaos in global markets and imperiled domestic industries.

The so-called "Trump put"--a metaphor for the president's tendency to intervene in markets to prevent losses--remains alive, but its efficacy is waning. As Apollo's chief economist Torsten Slok notes, the complexity of negotiating numerous trade deals could stall global trade, echoing disruptions similar to those during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturing sectors are already feeling the strain, and the broader economic consequences are poised to unfold in the coming months.

In this theater of the absurd, where policy is dictated by impulse rather than strategy, the American economy teeters on the edge, held hostage by the whims of a president who equates unpredictability with strength. One can only hope that reason will prevail before the curtain falls on this tragicomedy.

Read all about it:

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/23/trump-economy-tariffs-china-powell

Wake me when all this doom and gloom being predicted arrives. I would hate to sleep through it after seeing how invested the left is in making it materalize.

 

[phoenix2020]

If you can put some meat on those weasel words, free froe. I'll be waiting, for some specifics.

I think you'll be waiting for a while. You're literally asking somebody who self-identifies with idiocracy to shore up "but leftists!" which is the 4th grader example of a MAGA deflection. @Idiocracy doesn't really have anything to say other than "but Democrats" and whatever talking points he was instructed to repeat by the media, so asking him to elucidate further will be about as productive as asking a stereo system to explain the meaning of the song it's playing.

 

[Buster Icon]

The OP doesn't even meet a generality; it's story time. So no shit, you want me to substantiate why cry wolf is fiction? This just in, left has cried wolf for 8+ years now, all credibility was lost a long time ago.

Whatever

 

[Jessie C]

I think you'll be waiting for a while. You're literally asking somebody who self-identifies with idiocracy to shore up "but leftists!" which is the 4th grader example of a MAGA deflection. @Idiocracy doesn't really have anything to say other than "but Democrats" and whatever talking points he was instructed to repeat by the media, so asking him to elucidate further will be about as productive as asking a stereo system to explain the meaning of the song it's playing.

 

[Buster Icon]

Wake me when all this doom and gloom being predicted arrives. I would hate to sleep through it after seeing how invested the left is in making it materalize.

didn't you read the OP? the headline said '....unless....' signaling hope, etc. Pay more attention, please.

 

[element94]

BUH BUH BUH IT'S ELEVENTY DIMENSIONAL NEGOTIATING! RADICAL LEFTIST LUNATICS JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE GREATNESS OF HIS MOST HIGH AND HOLY CHEETO!

"very good brain", and "MIT connection" was enough to convince them.

 

[Quag]

My favorite thing to come out of this is this massively funny spin from a WH official:


Of course the question here is whether it was possible to get China to the table without doing all of this damage. My guess is most definitely, and the same goes for all of the other countries he placed tariffs on.

Nah the penguins were never going to come to the table unless we covered it with fish

 

[ataraxia]

It's neat how leftists write tall tales about an abstract reality in hopes it takes. It never does, but while leftists claim to be educated, on such things as history, they just never learn from it.

Reality is Trump supporters died at 3 times the rate of everyone else during Covid- because they are so uneducated, paranoid, believe so much bull$hit, and fall for so many lies from such an obvious con man.

But this time they are killing the rest of the country along with themselves.

 

[multivita-man]

My favorite thing to come out of this is this massively funny spin from a WH official:


Of course the question here is whether it was possible to get China to the table without doing all of this damage. My guess is most definitely, and the same goes for all of the other countries he placed tariffs on.

I'm seeing a lot of X accounts that I've followed for a while, thinking they were educated people, trying to make these same rationalizations, that all of this is just part of Trump's brilliant negotiating strategy. They have the luxury of saying such nonsense now because he did retreat in the nick of time, before a collapse in bond markets and stock indices would have exposed him to global and domestic condemnation.

 

[Rumblefish]

Wake me when all this doom and gloom being predicted arrives. I would hate to sleep through it after seeing how invested the left is in making it materalize.

When my son builds a ramp for his bike that is unstable - based on my experience building ramps as a youth, general experience building decks, walls, fences, etc. - and I predict/forecast the ramp’s failure and my son’s potential injury (even serious) am I “doom and glooming” or am I being a responsible caring parent and, perhaps, negligent if I fail to intervene?

I certainly don’t HOPE for injury to my son to actually happen. The word here is “concern” perhaps even “grave concern.”

And should my son somehow actually survive the ramp unscathed should I attribute it to “genius” or to “luck”?

Predicting/forecasting outcomes is called using logic.

When a predicted/forecasted outcome fails to materialize exactly as predicted it’s usually due to the presence of an unforeseen or unaccounted variable - the presence of which is often accidental.

Trump supporters can’t or won’t point to any concrete factor in the here and now that logically points to a happy outcome on any topic: the economy, Ukraine, energy, you name it.

Their “arguments” - such as they are - boil down to one thing: an unbridled (and unwarranted) faith in Trump, personally.

So no…logically one can predict/forecast that water won’t, all on its own, turn into wine. But, to his supporters, Trump has Jesus-like powers to turn water into wine because…well he’s Trump (and you’re not).

Of course when Trump fails to turn water into wine, Trump supporters will (a) blame the Pharisees; (b) still assert that the water IS wine you just can’t see it or taste it (Trumpsubstantiation); or (c) both of the above.

 

[trouble13]

When my son builds a ramp for his bike that is unstable - based on my experience building ramps as a youth, general experience building decks, walls, fences, etc. - and I predict/forecast the ramp’s failure and my son’s potential injury (even serious) am I “doom and glooming” or am I being a responsible caring parent and, perhaps, negligent if I fail to intervene?

I certainly don’t HOPE for injury to my son to actually happen. The word here is “concern” perhaps even “grave concern.”

And should my son somehow actually survive the ramp unscathed should I attribute it to “genius” or to “luck”?

Predicting/forecasting outcomes is called using logic.

When a predicted/forecasted outcome fails to materialize exactly as predicted it’s usually due to the presence of an unforeseen or unaccounted variable - the presence of which is often accidental.

Trump supporters can’t or won’t point to any concrete factor in the here and now that logically points to a happy outcome on any topic: the economy, Ukraine, energy, you name it.

Their “arguments” - such as they are - boil down to one thing: an unbridled (and unwarranted) faith in Trump, personally.

So no…logically one can predict/forecast that water won’t, all on its own, turn into wine. But, to his supporters, Trump has Jesus-like powers to turn water into wine because…well he’s Trump (and you’re not).

Of course when Trump fails to turn water into wine, Trump supporters will (a) blame the Pharisees; (b) still assert that the water IS wine you just can’t see it or taste it (Trumpsubstantiation); or (c) both of the above.

I get it. You still trust the credential class. I do not. I have seen enough from them to question both their knowledge and their motives. I trust Trump more than I trust his critics. I 100% voted for transformational change from the path the credential class put us on. It was failing us.

 

[Michael Cole]

Spin is a wonderful thing, isn't it?